from Thursday, 10.04 / 10:00 (Artist Fan Presale)
from Friday, 11.04 / 10:00 (General Sale)
30.10.25
KOKOROKO
Kokoroko first formed in 2014 when Sheila Maurice-Grey (trumpet/flugelhorn/vocals) and Onome Edgeworth (percussion) met on an arts trip in Kenya. The two bonded over their frustration with the lack of racial and gender diversity in the UK’s afrobeat and highlife scenes. A desire to repair the disconnect young people in the African diaspora had with traditional African music would also fuel the band’s genesis.
In 2018, their breakthrough was secured when the sparse and understated ‘Abusey Junction’ was included on Gilles Peterson’s ‘We Out Here’ compilation. Off the back of the newfound visibility the track afforded them, Kokoroko soon found themselves playing a large role in epitomising what would come to be known as “the new age London jazz scene”.
4 years later, after much heightened anticipation, they released their debut album ‘Could We Be More’. A sinewy blend of afrobeat, highlife and jazz, the album scored platitudes from The Guardian, The Telegraph, Financial Times, CRACK Magazine and plethora of others. The album would also land a top 40 placement on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 30.
Its resulting success parlayed into an extensive number of touring and festival dates across Europe, Australia, and Canada. Now a decade into their existence, the ensemble who also consists of Anoushka Nanguy (vocals/trombone), Ayo Salawu (drums), Duane Atherley (bass), Tobi Adenaike-Johnson (guitar) and Yohan Kebede (keys) are in a place where they’ve done their bit in contributing to a necessary course correction for the scenes they sought to revitalise. And as such, feel ready to sonically expand their horizons.
The first major sign of this desire for an artistic leap came with ‘Could We Be More Remixes’. Featuring contributions from KeiyaA, Ash Lauryn, Stefan Ringer, Vanyfox and Hagan, the original songs were re-imagined through a club lens. Allowing the band’s music for the first time to cross into the worlds of afro-house, amapiano, Detroit house, future bounce and techno.
WHERE
Flex (Halle)